Now that the season is over, I would say pass rusher is our most pressing need. Hali shouldn’t be back. Cannot count on Dee Ford.

Something is either wrong with Houston, or the rest of the nfl figured him out. It could also be the way he is used. A defensive coordinator that doesn’t believe him to be the next prime time would be great. If his greatest skill is rushing the passer, then ffs have him do it every time the QB drops back! Having your best pass rusher run down the field getting him tired in coverage doesn’t confuse a QB, it helps them. If you are an offense, you hope the defense takes away their own best pass rushing. Most teams aren’t that stupid.

Now that the season is over, I would say pass rusher is our most pressing need. Hali shouldn’t be back. Cannot count on Dee Ford.

Something is either wrong with Houston, or the rest of the nfl figured him out. It could also be the way he is used. A defensive coordinator that doesn’t believe him to be the next prime time would be great. If his greatest skill is rushing the passer, then ffs have him do it every time the QB drops back! Having your best pass rusher run down the field getting him tired in coverage doesn’t confuse a QB, it helps them. If you are an offense, you hope the defense takes away their own best pass rushing. Most teams aren’t that stupid.

You can argue that pass rusher is the most important, but it was the Chiefs’ cornerback play which frustrated me the most in 2017. The constant musical chairs of Darrelle Revis, Terrance Mitchell, Steven Nelson, Phillip Gaines and Kenneth Acker confused everyone and accomplished nothing in the long run.

Looking ahead to 2018, I’m not confident in any of those guys being the Chiefs’ No. 2 CB. Mitchell is too inconsistent and gets burnt easily, Nelson belongs in the slot, Revis is too old and costs too much, Acker is a role player, and Gaines doesn’t even deserve a roster spot.

Simply put, the Chiefs need to find a guy to start opposite Marcus Peters and need to stick with that guy for the whole season. They failed to find one in 2017. The team can’t take another year of indecision at the position.

Pass rusher/edge defender

This one is just as important as No. 2 CB. Dee Ford has proven himself to be unreliable even when he’s healthy, Frank Zombo is only good at stopping the run (except during the playoffs, apparently), and Tamba Hali barely sees the field.

It’s possible that Tanoh Kpassagnon takes a second-year leap but the Chiefs can’t solely bank on that for 2018. Free agent pass rushers cost a ton so the best way to find an edge rusher will be in the draft, preferably in the first three rounds.

Defensive tackle

Bennie Logan is a free agent and probably won’t return unless he wants to take a massive pay cut. The Chiefs’ currently-rostered defensive tackles are Justin Hamilton, Josh Augusta, Mike Purcell and T.Y. McGill, and none of those guys are starting material.

Allen Bailey and Chris Jones are mainly defensive ends so they aren’t the answer. Rakeem Nunez-Roches will likely be re-signed but he’s not a true DT either. The Chiefs will need to find someone in free agency or the draft to replace Logan.

Safety depth
Eric Berry will return in 2018 which is awesome, but 2017 showed that the Chiefs aren’t as deep at safety as they initially thought. Daniel Sorensen and Ron Parker both had a rough year. Sorensen is much better as a role player than a starter. Parker might end up getting cut to save cap room.

It might be a good idea to draft a safety early to provide competition at the position and maybe replace Parker in the near future.

Inside linebacker (if free agent ILBs aren’t signed)

This depends on what the Chiefs do with Kevin Pierre-Louis, Ramik Wilson and Terrance Smith, all who are some type of free agent. My guess is all three will be re-signed. If that happens, the Chiefs probably don’t need to draft an ILB high, but could possibly spend a pick on one in the late rounds.

Left guard/interior offensive line depth

This one depends on whether the Chiefs will re-sign Zach Fulton who is a free agent. He did a great job in 2017 in place of center Mitch Morse and others so the Chiefs will probably try to get him back.

Even if Fulton is signed, the Chiefs could use an extra guy to compete for the left guard spot. Don’t be surprised to see K.C. snag a versatile lineman in the middle rounds of the 2018 draft.

No. 2 tight end competition

This isn’t necessarily a need, but I’m just about tired of seeing the Chiefs rely on Demetrius Harris to catch passes in crucial situations. The Harris experiment isn’t working and it’s time for it to be over.

I’d love to see K.C. find a tight end in the middle/late rounds or free agency to back up Travis Kelce. When Kelce went down during the playoff game, the Chiefs didn’t have anyone step up at the position as a pass-catcher. They need another reliable TE just in case.